Russian Man Imports Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) Model S for $194,000

Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s Model S electric car has been all the rage in the U.S. for the last year and change, but Tesla obviously also has a pretty strong international appeal given the price some foreign citizens are willing to pay to get their hands on a Model S. A Chinese man recently paid $410,000 to bring a Model S into that country, and Russia is the latest to join the list. According to Inside EVs, a well-heeled Russian citizen recently paid the equivalent of $194,000 to have a Model S imported to Moscow.

Tesla Model S cost breakdown

The owner of the first Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S in Russia, a Mr. Sergei Filonov, claims he paid $109,000 for his Tesla 85 kWh Performance edition Tesla S, buying it direct from the factory. He then paid a cool $25,000 to have the vehicle transported by airplane to Moscow, and then had to fork out an additional $60,000 at Customs.

Not one to mince words, Mr Filonov told his interviewer, “It’s a shame, of course, that custom takes almost as much as the people who make this car. The State did not think to build factories and run sophisticated technology – why, when you can just rob people at the entrance.”

Overnight charging

Mr. Filonov has access to a 12 kW charging station, which allows him to fully charge his Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S every night. He also proudly points out it only costs him around 68 roubles ($2.00) to fully charge his baby. He also mentioned he can log as many as 250 kilometers per charge. He admits he has not yet seen how the vehicle will perform over the course of a long, cold winter in Moscow.

Safety concerns regarding Fisker

When asked if he considered a Fisker Karma instead of a Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S, Filonov replied he had, but after hearing about some issues with fires in Fisker vehicles, he decided he did not want to take the chance to become a “potential kebab”.